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Friday, April 8, 2011

I have always played it safe. Never smart. That's why ultra running could be a could fit for me. What is smart about running 50mi, 100mi, beyond 100mi? Nothing. Playing it safe in training, with hydration & fueling and walk breaks - that's where the smart comes in.

Your confidence in me is appreciated.

Your concern for me is warranted.

Your hopes and prayers for me are received.

As a dude said this week, all that's left to do is to 'not quit'. He quit at the Barkley Marathons last week. He knows when and why to quit. But he's finished more often than he's failed (if quitting equals failure) so this dude is a trusted resource on the subject.

Based on my track record through life finishing the 100 should be easier than the not-quitting. There is a difference. Think about it.

Quitting is natural for me. Not quitting is new. At some point quitting may be smart. Hell, it may be safe. And it may be necessary. One point to remember is that each step puts me closer to 'not quitting'.

***

Epilogue is Prologue - for all intents and purposes training is done. It may not have gone the way I hoped. I did only give myself eight weeks to prepare, but I have been running consistently at 60-70mi per week since July. Some things did not get done, but no sense is crying about it. The base is there. Nothing to add to the mix this coming week but rest and organization and travel.

From Thursday afternoon through Tuesday night I will be on fumes. The timezone change will assuredly mess with my mind as well as my body. This is the first time I shall ever be west of the Rockies. That alone will take a lot out of me. Not to mention the whole 'running for hours and hours' thing.

Fortunately for some of you (wink nudge) I'll have limited internet access due mainly to available battery power on my mobile phone. I do hope to communicate with any and all of you while on this great adventure. I have dragged y'all along with me and see no reason to stop now.

Later next week I'll post my plan for udpating my progress during the Lumberjack. It is a simple affair. No fancy online tracking. So if you care you will be able to follow my progress. If not... Why are you still reading this stupid shit if you don't care? That's just dumb.

- Logan

PS, There are times when people come into your life to bring new ideas or viewpoints for one to consider. Whether to open up new possibilities or simply reflections of one's self. Several of those persons have come into my life in the last year, each armed with great faith that I am capable of so much more than I ever would have given myself credit for. To each of you I give thanks. After LJ I promise to thank you directly and personally.

In preparing for my last marathon I created a dedication list with each mile given in thought to a single person or group of people that held a special place in creating "me". Even now I realize I left some very important people off that last. However, as I wind down my preparations for the Lumberjack there will be no list. No miles or loops in dedication to others. This run is about me, for me. I will still think about all the people who have helped me reach this point in my running life. I simple know that to finish this distance I have to run each step for me alone.

Don't consider the word "quit". No matter how difficult it is along the way, no matter how much pain, don't listen to the voices in your head that say "you better stop or you might...." No! Keep going. Forward progress, remember? Be it running, jogging, walking or crawling - as long as it's forward. You may be in for the greatest exercise in mind battle that you've ever experienced. FORGET ALL pre-conceived notions in your head. Wipe 'em out. Like, "I gotta hydrate this much", and "I gotta take in this amount of calories" - BULLSHIT! You've never done this before so you do-not-know. And take with a grain of salt what those who have tread this way tell you - they are not you, nor you them. Your body can take a helluva lot more than you think it can. There's that word: "think". You wanna "think" while you're on the ultra? Replay scenes of runs on the beach, scenes of you crossing the finish line victorious in races you've run, replay the birth of your daughter, replay sunrises you've seen and the feel and taste of that early morning air as you ran. Best of all, don't think. Just be in the Zen of each footstep. Logan, you're gonna shock the hell out of us and mostly out of YOU!

I love reading your blogs, so thank you for always being honest and yourself. Good luck this week and with your race, I hope it's everything that you need it to be for you. Will be sending prayers to you!